BITTERSWEET, Ky. — Okay, I must admit I did watch some of the recent royal wedding coverage that seemed to be all the rage, on every television channel. For weeks, every newscast had something about the royal couple, and millions upon millions of people from around the world watched these two young people tie the knot in grand fashion.

Now before you turn the page to the hog report, stay with me for a minute; I do have a point.

In watching this event, I couldn’t help but notice how excited and happy people were, from the spectators to the broadcasters and, of course, the participants. It was a happy time for all those tens of millions who became infatuated with a wedding of this magnitude.

And I got to thinking, wouldn’t it be great if we were all that happy, even if it was for a short time?

I began to do a little research from a musical perspective to find the happiest country songs ever recorded. You must admit that often, our favorite country tunes deal with a plethora of depressing subjects from heartbreak to family loss, to drinking too much.

But I found so many great songs dealing with such happy topics as newfound love, great country living and an appreciation of God, country and honor.

One of the first “happy” country songs I remember is the giant hit by Donna Fargo back in 1972, which she wrote herself. “Happiest Girl in the Whole USA” was a huge hit that put Fargo on the road to stardom and was actually recorded by other female artists because it was so popular.

For the party crowd, Hank Williams Jr. recorded “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight,” which was released in 1984 and became somewhat of an anthem for those folks looking to have a good time. It was even modified to play as the warm-up song for “Monday Night Football.”

More recently, the Zac Brown Band recorded “Chicken Fried” in 2008, and it is a great tune speaking to the love of family and living the country life. It is truly one of my favorites on a long list of songs from this band.

George Strait has had so many great songs, it’s hard to choose one over another, but one of his happy songs that comes to mind is the 2011 hit “Here for a Good Time,” which sums up the way we should all feel:

I ain’t here for a long time,

I’m here for a good time.

I have had such a great experience perusing through all these happy songs, I will have to make this column a two-parter – but for now, here’s to being happy!

Bluegrass Johnson comes from a long line of country music performers and enjoys a passion for the rhythm and melody. From the hills of Kentucky, he will offer his opinions on a variety of new country music each week. Readers with questions or comments may write to Johnson in care of this publication.